There are many instances when the amount of milk which a suckling infant is receiving from the breast needs to be augmented. For instance, some babies have difficulty in learning to suckle the breast. This can lead to a reluctance to breastfeed, since the infant does not receive immediate gratification upon suckling. The mother's milk supply may also be inadequate, such as from temporary reduction in milk supply from mother-baby separation, illness or the like.
It is also possible for an adoptive mother to induce lactation. The mammary glands can be stimulated to begin to produce milk. The induction of lactation can take some time, however. Moreover, most women will not be able to exclusively breastfeed the adopted child.
While the milk supply can be supplemented in these instances by bottle feeding, it is most desirable to be able to provide the diet supplementation simultaneously with normal breastfeeding. This serves to stimulate the production of more milk, improves suckling when necessary, and further perpetuates the mother-child bonding incident to breastfeeding.
There are a number of considerations in designing a device to so supplement the milk supply during breastfeeding. First, it should deliver the supplement to the infant in an unobtrusive manner. The user should also be comfortable with the device, and be able to use it with relative ease.
The child must also be able to get the breast nipple and the supplement delivery means into its mouth simultaneously. A small diameter delivery tube can be used to this end.
One supplement delivery device which meets the foregoing objectives is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,466. That device has proven quite satisfactory, but in its commercial form is larger in size than is most desirable for the greatest ease in portability, where portability may be another consideration. The '466 device is also not specifically designed to be disposable after use, being made in its commercial form very durable for cleaning and reuse. The fluid delivery mechanism of the '466 device as commercialized is furthermore not particularly adapted for use with other supplement containers such as standard milk bottles.